GJM forces car owners to change number plate

Siliguri, Aug 27 (UNI) Police today received a complaint alleging that the GJM activists have been forcefully blackening number plate for defying diktat to change car number in GL (Gorkhaland) in place of WB (West Bengal).

Former CPI(M) leader Kanai Bhattacharjee has lodged an FIR with the Pradhan Nagar police station here alleged that some Gorkha Janmukti Morcha cadres had blackened his car number while driving at Sukna today.

This was first such complaint police received after months ago GJM supremo Bimal Gurung served a fatwa asking people in the hills to change their car number in the name of Gorkhaland instead of WB, issued by the state transport department.

Darjeeling district Magistrate Rajendra Kumar Gupta said the administration would act only after getting specific complaint.

Meawhile, reports from hills today said the GJM cadres were forcefuly changing car number of vehicles on the roads complying the deadline, which was expired yesterday.

However, there was no such complaint in the hills as police at Pradhand Nagar, situated in the plains, received today.

In fact there are hardly any car left with WB number plate in the hilly roads after the GJM extended a day to August 26 to comply with the fatwa.

The government officials in the hills find a difficult time using official car which has WB.

Although the GJM restricted its diktat to only in the private cars, the government officials posted in the hills preferred to park their vehicles in garages.

UNI XC PC RN1813